New levy-reform bill won’t move forward in Olympia

Originally published June 11, 2015 at 7:47 pm

The levy-reform proposal released this week by state lawmakers is one of multiple such plans proposed recently. While lawmakers agree it won’t move forward, it could be a step closer in finding a McCleary education-funding fix.

The Washington Supreme Court has held the state in contempt for not doing enough to plan for full K-12 school funding per its McCleary decision. As part of the decision, justices ruled that by underfunding education, the state has forced school districts to rely too much on local property-tax levies to make up the difference.

In 1977, local levies were limited to 10 percent of what districts got from the state and federal governments, but that number has crept up to 28 percent in most districts. Property-rich school districts have an easier time raising money while poorer ones struggle.

Lawmakers are also still trying to find compromise on a 2015-17 operating budget, which also includes other education funding to address the McCleary decision.

Unlike other bills this year, Senate Bill 6130 has Democratic and Republican co-sponsors.

Among other things, the plan would phase in a streamlined salary system for educators, set guidelines for how local levy dollars could be used and create an education funding council to give recommendations to legislators.

“It represents much greater bipartisan work, [a] much greater look at all of the details necessary to address such a complex situation,” said Sen. Bruce Dammeier, R-Puyallup and the lead GOP lawmaker working on the bill.